"Not so fast," he said.
He moved his hand and I screamed.
Surely, there had to someone around with some sense left in them. No one replied though and I heard their footsteps moving on down the hallway.
"You think you're too good for me?" Molloy said.
"No. I've got a boyfriend..."
I tried to push him aside. He shoved me, smashing my back into the boxes.
"I've heard about your pop star boyfriend. Time you discovered what a real man was like."
A few snappy replies came to my mind but the words didn't leave my mouth. I didn't want to rile him up. My heart pounded. Maybe if I smiled and acted friendly, he'd leave me alone. After all, there'd been a room full of groupies ready to give him what he wanted. He didn't need to waste his time on me.
"Maybe you should join your friends?"
He laughed and pushed harder against me.
"I'll join them later."
Shit, I needed to get out of here. He wasn't playing around. I moved for the door but he shoved me back again, pain shooting from my shoulder.
"Stop fooling around," he said. "I know you want this."
"I don't want it," I said. "I really don't."
He grabbed my arms and I struggled against him. He was much stronger than he looked and my body was sore from sleeping on the ground.
I tried to knee him in the balls but missed, just getting his thigh instead. He gave a moan then slapped my face. My head recoiled from the force of the blow. He really wasn't joking around. I could taste blood in my mouth and my whole face stung.
I couldn't talk my way out of this. He wasn't going to stop. As the realization hit me, the bile rose from my stomach. I'd been stupid. Why hadn't I let Savage pay for a cab? Or even paid myself? I'd be back at the motel in my bed asleep now. I'd thought I wouldn't be noticed but, for some stupid reason, Molloy had opened that door.
The smell of him made me retch. I wanted him far, far away from me.
Molloy slammed his body against mine and bit my neck. Not a playful nip but a bite that almost broke the skin.
"Let me go," I said, shoving him away.
He didn't let go of me though. If anything, he grabbed me tighter. Holy shit, I should not have gotten into this situation. I should've made sure I got on that bus or at least wedged something under the door so no one could get in.
Molloy didn't look that strong but I had no chance of fighting him off.
"Just relax," he said, that hot, fetid breath making me flinch. "You'll enjoy it."
"No, I won't."
Nothing said would stop him. None of my struggling or screaming. I wouldn't stop though. No way could I relax and let him do what he wanted. I'd fight him, if took everything I had.
I sent out a silent prayer for Savage to save me, even though I knew he was miles away.
Then Molloy turned out the light. I was trapped and there was no hope of rescue.
Frankie
LUCKILY, I HAD THE keys to the back door of the arena from when we'd loaded in. It took a while to get a cab to turn up at the motel but I told him there was an extra twenty bucks in it for him if he got me there as fast as he could.
I'd tried to keep Savage calm but Molloy had had his eye on that chick ever since she'd knocked him back. Not many chicks on the tour did that. I had to admit, I was worried for her. Stupid of me not to look for her before the bus headed back to the motel.
I didn't have much time for Molloy anyway. A pig of a man. I'd turned this tour down to start with because I never wanted to work with him again. Then Savage had asked for this favor, so I told them I'd do it after all. Even if Savage hadn't offered to pay me, I'd have kept an eye on the girl. She acted tough but these guys needed watching. Most musos like to party but these guys were much lower than that. How Molloy kept up his image in the media amazed me. He played dirty.
The cab sped through the streets. We were close to the arena now. I just hoped I'd be able to find her. Savage had said she was in a store room. With any luck, she'd be safe and sound, snoring her head off. Even getting her back to a comfortable bed would help, though.
I told the cabbie to wait while I jumped out and raced inside.
First step, I checked the band room. That was empty. A total pigsty, with a puddle of vomit in the middle of the room. Used condoms littering the place. Pity the poor cleaners who had to clean that up.
I ran down the hallway, looking for a store room door.
I heard her before I found it. A scream.
Fuck me.
I hoped I wasn't too late.
It could be Molloy or any one of his band mates. Bastards.
I tried one door. Wrong room.
Opened the next and turned on the light.
Got hit with the sight of Molloy's lily-white backside shining in the light.
I pushed him off her. He tumbled to the floor.
Poor girl, sobbing her heart out. He hadn't got into her yet. I'd at least spared her that. Her shirt had been ripped and her tits all bruised but she was fully clothed.
She kept gasping, as though not registering it was over.
I put my arm around her.
"It's okay," I told her. "You're safe now."
She nodded but still sobbed.
Molloy tried to get up but his legs twisted in the jeans around his ankles.
I took off my jacket and put it over her shoulders, then led her out of the room. Poor thing shivered beneath my arm.
"There's a cab outside. We can go to the motel or we can go to the cops. I'll go with you if want me to, back up your story."
She shook her head.
"I want to go back to the hotel but my gear's back there."
Shit.
"Do you need it?"
She nodded.
I couldn't leave her alone so I took her outside and put her in the cab.
"Wait here and I'll go back for it. If any of those other guys are around, leave without me. I can grab another cab."
I didn't want to leave her alone but that was better than taking her back into that room with Molloy. He'd probably gotten up and put his jeans back on. That'd make him more on the attack. I could take him on but I didn't want to if I didn't have to.
From the hallway, I heard the sound of something smashing.
The door to the storeroom was open and I walked in to see him kicking the bag holding her gear. The bastard. I knew better than to lift a finger to him, as much as I itched to punch him. Instead, I grabbed the bag off the floor and left him alone. Like a spoilt kid, he was.
Hopefully, the padding on the bag had protected most of her stuff but I'd definitely heard a smash.
When I got back to the motel. I'd have to call Savage. I wondered if that was for the best. Maybe not, but I still had to tell him.
Alice
WHEN FRANKIE GOT IN the taxi, I thanked him. Then I rested my head against the seat, wanting to just go to sleep and forget this had happened.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the cops?" Frankie asked. "He shouldn't get away with that shit."
I didn't.
Even if I did, what would happen? He could afford the best lawyers. I'd have to go through the whole process and he'd get away with it in the end, anyway. I couldn't get up in court and rehash this over and over. My eyes became heavy with unshed tears. I wished I could be strong enough to report this. I sure as hell didn't want any other woman suffering like I had. Especially anyone with no one like Frankie to rescue them. But I just imagined how it would go. He'd say I'd agreed to go to the store room with him. He was the rock star with the clean image, the rock star women wanted to sleep with. No one would believe me.
And Savage would find out. Then, all hell would break loose. I didn't want to deal with that. I didn't want him doing anything to screw up his career because of my mistakes.
I'd get home and take a shower and sleep.
"When you get back to your room, take some photos of those bruises."
I sh
ook my head.
Frankie turned to me, serious concern in his eyes.
"I mean it. You might not want to report him now but you might change your mind. Take the photos, even if you lock them away somewhere on your computer and forget they exist."
"I'm not even sure if my camera is functional anymore."
"Use your phone."
I had a spare camera back at the motel but the thought that my baby had been smashed to pieces just made me even sadder. It was like if he couldn't destroy me, he wanted to destroy the closest thing to me. I realized now how twisted Molloy was.
"Are you going to continue on the tour?" he asked.
"I don't have much choice."
He put his arm around me. I didn't resist. Even if I'd been worried that he'd been trying to hit on me the first time I'd met him, in the past few days he'd become more like a father-figure to me. He watched out for me. I liked that. His hug had no deeper meaning and I really needed the comfort.
I did wonder how he'd managed to turn up at exactly the right moment but I wasn't about to question him about that.
"You have a choice. You always have a choice. No one would blame you for quitting."
Quitting seemed impossible, though. I'd have to explain to Eleanor and I'd have to explain to Savage. I'd much rather keep this to myself and not deal with any of the rest of it. I'd pretend it never happened.
I'd make sure I was never alone, ever. No sneaking off to call Savage. I'd keep a safe distance.
I could just quit the tour?
No. I pushed that thought from my mind.
I wanted to just disappear into myself and leave the world behind for a while. What I really wanted was for Savage to wrap his arms around me and make me feel everything would be okay. I'd never call and ask him to do that though. He had his career and shows to do. As much as he told me to tell him if anything was wrong, that would mean a huge disruption to his life. More than I could ever ask of him.
When the cab pulled up at the motel, Frankie patted my arm.
"Get some sleep." He smiled, a comforting smile. "I'll tell the tour manager you're sick and can't work tomorrow. One day off won't kill anyone and you might not want to front up tomorrow."
He wasn't wrong about that. I never wanted to front up again.
Savage
I PACED THE FLOOR. Why wasn't the plane boarding? When Frankie had called, I'd booked the next available flight. Maybe I'd have been better off driving. Waiting around made me a little nuts. I wanted to be with Alice and every delay got me more worked up.
I paced the lounge, getting a few dirty looks, but I couldn't just sit down.
Finally, they let me on the plane. I'd be with her in a few hours. If it meant cancelling tonight's show, then I'd cancel. If it meant cancelling my entire tour, even.
I couldn't keep still. Not for the flight. Not for the ride from the airport.
I didn't go straight to her. I needed to do something first. I got a cab to the arena. Frankie had convinced Alice to take the day off. No one would mind if she didn't turn up for the show tonight. She'd have taken enough photos to cover it. And she shouldn't be forced to be around that bastard.
When I got to the venue, for once I was glad to have a recognisable face. I got straight through to backstage, no questions asked. The band had just finished soundcheck and was walking down the hallway toward me. One of the crew said hi to me. I didn't respond. I could see him at the other end of the hallway. I needed to get to him before anyone could stop me. There was no security around, just his pissweak band mates.
He didn't even acknowledge me, which helped, because my fist slammed into his jaw before he saw it coming.
He swung back at me but I knocked him to the floor. With the bastard down, I flew into him. He didn't even fight back, just put his hands up to protect his face.
I tell you, people think you are nothing but a pretty face in a boy band but I'd learnt to fight young. With so much jealousy and resentment flying around, the punches weren't far behind. Things got nasty and things got rough. And that was without the anger that fueled me with Molloy.
The crunch of breaking bone gave me a deep satisfaction.
Not one of his band mates tried to stop me. One of them must've run for security, though. I got in one final punch before they pulled me off him.
"You ever touch her again, cunt, and I'll kill you. This was just a warning."
I gave the security guy a salute then walked off quietly. No point getting him caught up in this. He was just doing his job. As I walked back down the hallway, I heard Molloy behind me. The coward thought he could run up and get a sucker punch in. Not likely with the noise he made. When he got close enough, I spun around and rammed my elbow into his face.
He spluttered something, the words unintelligible.
"Maybe you should go wash your face, mate," I said. "It's a bit of a mess."
With that, I walked out.
Punching Molloy was probably the worst career move I could've made when I was trying to clean up my image but there are some things a man can't forgive. Forcing yourself on any woman deserves more than a good beating. How the fuck this guy had such a clean rep when I was made out to the worst in the world was beyond me. Life wasn't fair, and if you thought about that too much you just ended up with wrinkles and bitterness.
Now that I'd dealt with him, I headed to the motel. Alice would leave with me if I had to carry her out of there over my shoulder. Her stubbornness was fine up to a point but when it meant that she put herself in danger, she needed someone to talk sense into her.
Alice
WHY WAS SOMEONE KNOCKING on my door? If I ignored it, they'd go away.
The rest of the crew had gone to set up for the show. It was the last one before we moved on. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. In the next city, we'd all be staying at the same hotel. Much harder to avoid Molloy. Just the thought of seeing him turned my stomach. Not a good thing when I had to take photos of him.
I'd be okay. I had to keep telling myself I'd be okay. I couldn't flake out on this job, not this early.
If it meant getting the job done, I could fight the bile that rose in my stomach at the thought of Molloy's fetid breath. I could fight the shivers of repulsion that went through my body at the memory of his slimy hands. I could fight the way I wanted to run far, far away, rather than be within a mile of him.
I had to take all those thoughts and put them in a strong box and lock that box away in the back of my mind until the end of the tour. All I had was self-preservation.
I bet not one person on this tour except Frankie would even believe me. They all thought Molloy was the greatest thing ever. Either he had them fooled or any decent person in his crew jumped ship at the first chance. Working with an entire crew of people just as rotten as him scared the shit out of me. At least I had Frankie.
The knocking got louder, more aggressive.
I wanted to pull the blanket over my head and ignore it. The thought of talking to anyone at all, putting on a smiling face and acting normal, seemed like such a huge effort.
Maybe it was the maid, even though I'd put the "do not disturb" sign on my door. I sighed and got up. I'd grab some fresh towels off her, then tell her to leave.
When I opened the door, my legs almost crumpled beneath me.
It was Savage, not the maid.
What was he doing here?
The world swam around me. Maybe I was dreaming.
He was here and that was all that mattered.
I fell into his arms, clinging to him. Everything about him made me happy. My heart raced. Every thought I'd been pushing away flooded through me. I'd tried to fight my need, not wanting to inconvenience him, but I really did need him.
Did he know? He had to know. That's why he was here.
We kissed. Then he scooped me up into his arms and carried me back into the room, kicking the door shut. He sat me down on the bed and we kissed again.
The only thing I needed in this wor
ld was his kisses.
He wrapped his arms around me but he offered more than that. With him here, I could relax. Even if relaxing meant all the fear that I'd tried to contain came rushing out. I never wanted him to let go of me. I'd cry in his arms, knowing I was finally safe.
But he pulled away, searching my face. His fingers traced the bruise on my cheek.
"That bastard," he said, shaking his head.
The tears started then. Ugly sobs. He stroked my hair and kept me close to him. I didn't want him to see me cry like this but I couldn't stop myself.
This moment was the only thing that mattered. Molloy couldn't hurt me now. Nothing could hurt me. I'd just stay in Savage's arms forever.
He didn't talk or ask me any questions. Thank goodness. I didn't want to say the things I felt out loud. I wanted them to flow through me. It was easier to cry and let him hold me than to relive those horrible moments.
I'd prayed for Savage to save me, knowing it was impossible, but instead, Frankie had shown up. Even if it hadn't been Savage himself, I had the feeling he'd been behind it.
Then I noticed his hand. I picked it up, looking at the grazes on his knuckles.
"What did you do?"
He sucked in his bottom lip.
"Are you going to get angry?"
"How do I know that until you tell me?"
God, I hoped he hadn't done anything stupid. Anything career-ruiningly stupid. That's why I hadn't wanted to tell him about Molloy. I couldn't be angry with Savage. I wish I'd been the one who'd punched him myself but I didn't want Savage to destroy his reputation on my behalf either. Molloy wasn't worth it.
"I hit him. Several times. Hard."
I shook my head.
"That's not good. What if he presses charges? What if he goes to the media? He'll twist this so he looks good and you look like you're out of control."
Savage shrugged.
"Maybe. But I had to do it. And God, it felt good."
I put my head back on his shoulder. No point getting angry. I would've once. I'd have yelled at Savage for being an idiot, but that wouldn't change anything. I had no anger in me anyway. Everything had been drained away. I just wanted peace.
Rock Mayhem: 8 Complete Rock Star Romance Novels Page 17